Clairvoyance EX (Mist)

The Onmyoji wearing a tall hat seemed to be a very young man, with a handsome face and dressed in a dark blue Onmyoji kariginu. He possessed a distinguished demeanor.

The woman dressed in samurai attire was valiant and spirited, with sharp eyes. Even while seated across from him, she didn't forget to continuously scrutinize him with a searching gaze.

Gu Mo calmly scanned the two of them. Because he had already guessed and prepared himself before coming to meet them, he wasn't surprised at all at this moment, appearing very nonchalant. His gaze swept over the tops of their heads, and as expected, he saw their IDs.

—"Abe no Seimei (100%)."

—"Minamoto no Raikou (100%)."

Perhaps because he knew who these two were, their corresponding IDs were displayed and were no longer just a string of question marks.

It really is this pair, and they've even come knocking on my door... In the original plot, this shouldn't have happened, so is it because I barged into this story and caused a butterfly effect?

Emmm, that doesn't seem right either. Although it wasn't shown in the main story, Abe no Seimei seems to be one of the master craftsmen, belonging to Hidechiyo's Onmyoji teacher. I originally thought it was just a game design, but considering Hidechiyo would later travel to Heian-kyō, she did indeed interact with Abe no Seimei from that era. And when Abe no Seimei's main body sacrificed himself to seal the Three Great Yokai, it seems he did leave behind a Shikigami Paper Doll to arrange things after his death.

So is there reason to believe... that this is indeed the case? The paper doll left by Abe no Seimei, knowing about time travel, specifically sought out Hidechiyo in this era to teach her Onmyoji techniques, and was also secretly making arrangements to guide her future time travel? Things that were going to happen anyway have just changed slightly because of my intrusion, for example, Minamoto no Raikou has also appeared. I wonder if she's also a paper doll clone...

And they didn't seek out Axiu, but rather specifically asked for me first, which also indirectly indicates that I will likely also be involved in the battle of Demonic Heian-kyō in the future...

At this thought, Gu Mo's eyes couldn't help but become slightly absent-minded.

What a strange thing. If his speculation was true, it meant that in this Dungeon world, his future self had already been active in a previous era... While his current self, still a newbie player, was cautiously exploring and clearing this Warring States period, there was possibly a seasoned veteran version of himself farming Dungeons in the previous Demonic Heian-kyō?

Even after the Idiot System possessed him, his daily life had gradually collapsed, and everything in the world had long since become fantastical. But this kind of bizarre spacetime phenomenon involving logical order and cause and effect was still a very perplexing issue.

—Of course, it's probably also largely related to his pace being off.

As the first proper Dungeon he was attempting, the level of this world was a bit too high, not something a newbie like him should be touching. Ordinary people had to face continuous warfare, chaos, and the proliferation of Aragami... At a higher level, it involved various incredible powers of gods and Buddhas, and time travel...

Resurrection brought by divine protection, even immortality, these also existed. For example, the path of sorcery could be refined to an extremely terrifying degree, such as bringing the spiritual appearances of gods and Buddhas back to the human world, or refining the human body through alchemy to a nearly perfect degree. It's possible the next step would be to open the Gate of Truth...

So it's no wonder he felt it was too fantastical. A newcomer who had just entered the game should have been grinding goblins in the Forest of Grant, leveling up step by step, and only tackling high-difficulty Dungeons after their character had taken shape. That was the normal rhythm.

"Lord Castle? Lord Castle?"

The man across the table wearing a tall hat originally had a gentle smile on his face. Seeing the person in front of him examining the two of them with strange eyes, and then getting lost in thought about something unknown, his expression suddenly changed slightly.

Giving a look to the spirited female samurai beside him, stopping Minamoto no Raikou's impatient impulse to act, Abe no Seimei tried calling out a few more times. Seeing the other person's gaze refocus on him, he finally let out a slight sigh of relief.

Perhaps the other party just doesn't recognize me and is simply spacing out, the Onmyoji thought. At the same time, he cupped his hands in greeting and spoke without haste, "Lord Gu Mo, I apologize for this abrupt visit... I am Kuzunoha, a wandering Onmyoji."

Kuzunoha? Is he using this alias because of his mother? Gu Mo nodded thoughtfully, his gaze sweeping over the ID above the other person's head again. When he wasn't looking, the ID and Health Bar were hidden, but when his attention focused, the information immediately popped up.

Heh, didn't expect that, did you? I've already seen you in the game. You still want to play dumb with me now?

But on the surface, he remained calm. Gu Mo had a composed expression, nodding lightly and saying, "That's alright. Let's get straight to the point. May I ask... what brings you, Kuzunoha, to seek me out? After all, I only arrived at Sagiyama Castle this evening."

Abe no Seimei's expression was somewhat strange. He hesitated for a moment, feeling that the other party's demeanor suggested he already knew something. Especially when calling him by name, that peculiar look was as if he knew his real name but was playing along.

But that shouldn't be the case... After all, at this time, the other party is still relatively weak, completely an ordinary person. Aside from the Guardian Spirit, there is nothing special about him. He shouldn't know.

So, after a slight hesitation, he maintained his gentle smile and decided to be partially truthful. "Lord Castle, we actually met briefly a few days ago. That was outside Inabayama Castle. We saw each other from a distance, and I presume you saw us too at that time."

Abe no Seimei thought about it and concluded that it must have been because they were seen back then, which is why the other party is now suspicious after seeing them follow him here.

The Onmyoji made this deduction, feeling a little helpless at the same time. If only I had known, I wouldn't have gone to find the two of them back then. I should have just waited here at Sagiyama Castle... That way, this person wouldn't have been prejudiced against us, and the negotiation would have been much smoother.

"...Mm."

Gu Mo gazed at the two people across from him. After a moment, he slowly nodded, saying nothing.

We met before? Why do I have absolutely no recollection? I can't remember at all... Wait, were those two Health Bars I saw from a distance back then and mistook for wild monsters actually these two guys? I really didn't think of that!

"Indeed, that makes things easier..." Abe no Seimei nodded gently. He showed a cheerful smile and continued to speak, carefully choosing his words. "Actually, our meeting back then wasn't a coincidence. We went specifically to meet Lord Castle, mainly to confirm something."

He planned to change his strategy and explain around this misleading point, explaining why they did what they did. In short, he would gain the other party's trust first.

"Oh, and what would that be?"

Gu Mo nodded calmly, asking as if he was patient and very interested.

"Before I explain, please allow me to keep you in suspense for a moment... Lord Castle, may I ask if you understand Onmyoji?" Abe no Seimei said, his smile as gentle as before.

In this Warring States period, the imperial court was in decline, and the samurai class ruled. Onmyoji had also gradually disappeared from the stage of history. However, for a long period in the past, during the Tang Dynasty, Onmyodo and the Five Elements theory were learned by envoys to Tang and gradually became popular in Japan. Onmyoji were highly sought after professions.

Court nobles needed to obtain spiritual peace and assurance for the state from Onmyoji, while the common people also obtained comfort from their difficult lives from Onmyoji. Moreover, in the ignorant period, exorcising yokai and purifying curses all required the talismans and techniques of Onmyoji. They were the spiritual pillars of the entire country.

Abe no Seimei posed this question to use it as a starting point.

If the other party strongly believed in the power of Onmyoji at this time, then everything would be easy to say. If the other party was more skeptical, he would demonstrate his skills to show that he indeed had real substance, and could then naturally lead into his subsequent explanation.

For example, he could say that he had divined good and bad fortune and predicted that there would be great changes in the future, and that the other party was the destined person, destined to save the world, and so on. That's why the two of them sought him out, wanting to assist him so that he would have the power to change everything when the fated destiny arrived... and so on, similar routines.

However—

"Onmyoji? Of course I know. This game doesn't have SSRs." Gu Mo continued to nod.

How could he not know this? He was too familiar with it.

"..."

"..."

A strange silence.

Abe no Seimei opened his mouth, looking completely stunned. This was a rare sight for him. Even Minamoto no Raikou, who seemed to have a rather fiery and impulsive temperament, couldn't help but glance at him a few extra times at this moment.

However, the next moment, he suddenly let out a wry laugh, sighing and shaking his head repeatedly. "So, Lord Gu Mo, you really do know everything. I thought you were joking..." Then, as if he had thought of something else, he tapped his head with the fan in his hand, annoyed. "You hinted so clearly just now, and I still didn't believe it. You must think I'm foolish."

On the other side, Gu Mo, who had just been about to explain that it was a joke, swallowed his words back.

He forced an awkward but polite smile, while his thoughts raced. What? What is this person talking about? I don't understand a single word.

"In that case, what you told me before about Clairvoyance EX... it's all true, isn't it?"

Abe no Seimei examined Gu Mo's eyes with a look of agreement, only seeing that they were clear and bright, but couldn't find anything special about them. It was precisely this lack of anything special that made him even more astonished.

"To be born with eyes that can gaze upon the world, able to see through the past and future... Such divine favor is truly unimaginable. I am indeed ignorant."

Ermmm... Clairvoyance EX? Seeing through past and future?

Gu Mo blinked, vaguely understanding something. What nonsense did my future self spout to this great Onmyoji back in the past? Including settings like "Clairvoyance EX" and also the claim that "there are no SSRs among Onmyoji"?

His previous thoughts about time travel and the resulting butterfly effect were all just speculation. While he had a certain degree of foresight, it was generally limited to the main events and their causes and effects. He didn't know much about the overlooked details and could only rely on his understanding and clues to make connections and inferences.

Because the time span in the game was too large, it was impossible to show everything in detail. The intervals between story quests were at least several months or years, and often spanned over a decade or even decades.

Occasionally, side quests were interspersed, mixed with fragmented clues and information. Only by piecing them together could he make a rough guess... So, at this moment, Gu Mo was using his brain to its fullest extent, but he still only had a guess. Based on the clues he had, it was very likely, but he couldn't be completely certain.

However, Abe no Seimei's words were a very strong piece of evidence...

"Please forgive me for being so foolish, but this is good too..." Abe no Seimei sighed, then smiled again. "This way, Raikou and I don't have to worry about how to explain our origins and make you accept it. To be honest, that was a real headache."

"It's really nothing. You are both very famous figures. If you used your real names, you might attract criticism. Using a pseudonym is fine."

Gu Mo still didn't understand many things, but he still followed the general line of thinking and responded according to the other party's words, maintaining a calm and assured expression... Although he didn't know all the details, he had a general understanding of the situation, and his current persona was that of a prophet!

"That's true, but Raikou and I didn't plan on appearing in front of people anyway..."

Abe no Seimei shook his head.

"We are merely Shikigami Paper Dolls imbued with a trace of our spirits from when we were alive. Although we retain all the memories and knowledge of our former selves, we are ultimately not complete living beings. And in the blink of an eye, hundreds of years have passed. Even with the nourishment of Spirit Stones, our condition is not as good as before..."

He said this with a relaxed air, then pointed to himself and Minamoto no Raikou beside him with his fan:

"We can't do much anymore. We can only, as agreed, teach you some things as much as possible while our paper doll bodies are still capable, before the seal at Byōdō-in loosens... Well, the only thing I'm good at is Onmyoji techniques. Raikou also has some unique skills. I hope you and Lord Hidechiyo won't mind."

The valiant female samurai let out a soft huff, but also tacitly agreed. This was a closed loop—

She and Seimei would wholeheartedly teach these two, helping them grow quickly, so that under the guidance of fate, they would eventually resolve the Three Great Yokai that she and Seimei could only seal...

And similarly, under the guidance of fate, the grown-up selves of these two would return to the past and help the living bodies of herself and Seimei. That's why the two of them knew and found a way to leave behind paper dolls, which would in turn help them grow in the future.